Bendable film spool signal



April 11, 1950 K. A. HENDEL BENDABLE FILM SPOOL SIGNAL Filed Jan. 8,1947 FIG. I.

FIG. 2.

- KENNETH A. HENDEL INVENTOR W- m zzm .ITTORNEYS Patented Apr. 11, 1 950Kenneth .A. Handel, Rochester; .N..,.Y.;, assignor to Eastman KodakCmnpany, Rochester, N. Y a corporation of New Jersey Application January'8, 194'7, Sieriialll- No. 720,797

1 Claim.

This invention relates to photography and more particularly to a meanspreferably integrallzwith the spool for indicating to .the operator whenfilm .on :a .spool has been-exposed. One object of my invention is toprovide a simple signaling device .incorporated in the spool which willindicate :to .an eperator the condition of film wound thereon. Anotherobject .of my invention is to provide .a spool with a simple type .ofindicating means which is automatically operable by placing the spool ina camera. A further object 131. my invention is to provide a device ofthe class described which does :not increase the .cost of the filmspool. .Other objects will appear from the following specification, thenovel features being particularly .pomted out in the claims at the endthereof.

,In certain types of film acameras utilizin 35-:mm. film, .for instance,film is supplied in .a casing, or retort, which is loaded into thecamera, the film being then attached to a take-pup hub. The film iswound onto this .hub mtermittentl-y as exposures are being made and thenis usually returned, or rewound, on the original spool and completelyinto the retort. Since the :film projects from theretort when the filmpackage goes to a customer and since it is totally enclosed in a retortwhen rewoundno special type .of signal is required. However, it has beenproposed to providecameras in which film is wound from and then backonto a supply spool where the film is wound directly on a spool so thatsome form of signal is necessary to indicate to an operator when film onthe spool has been exposed. This idea is not broadly new, nor i thecamera for using it, as evidenced by the following patents:

2,236,278, Film winding apparatus, Mihalyi,

granted December 7, 1943.

2,367,514, Exposure indicating spool, Mihalyi,

granted January 16, 1945.

However, in the film spool signal referred to in the patent, the signalis a separate member which must be properly assembled in the hub of thespool as the spool is made, or, as the film package is prepared, so thisnot only adds an item of additional expense but it requires a separatepart which must be separately assembled. In accordance with my improvedform of film spool, I provide an integral signal which requires no extraparts which must be assembled when the film spool is assembled and whichis both inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

Coming now to the drawings wherein like refterence-characters denotelike parts throughou fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view showing :a:portion of :a camera .and a, film-supporting shaft carrying .a spoolconstructed in accordance with and embodying a preierred form .of myin.- vention, the spool being shown in section in loperative position on:the supporting shaft and the beingiomitted aior clearness;

Fig. 2:is a top plan viewiof thefilrn spool shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. .3 is a view similar :to Fig. 2 but showing a slightly differentembodiment of-my invention; and

Fig.4 illustrates a typicalcamera including a film supporting shaftwhich ;my improved form of filmspool may be used.

My invention broadly consists in providing a signal forming a part ofone of the film spool flanges, this signalibeing arranged so that -.itmay be readily bent from a position in which it in.- dioaites the filmhas not ibeen exposed :to a posimen in which it indicates the film has:been exposed. My invention includes providing .a sup:- porting post forthe fil-m gspool which will sup.- port the spool and which will alsoautomatically bend thesignal when the spool'is loaded onto the post.

More specifically as indicated in Fig. 1, my spodbmay mcludea tubularilrubzmember ll which may be aiiixed lto zfianges 2 and ;3 .as "byspotwlding,.isoldering, or the like. The upper flange 2, as indicated inFig. '2, is :providedwith a generallly round iopening t to receive therounded end \of .a filmesll-pporting post and the metal of the flange 32is provided with two inwardly-ex.- tendin fingers 26' which proiect atleast part-way into the .central opening :4 for supporting the shaft andwhich are preferably for-med by male.- ingrs'lots "ll iln the metal 2 sothat the fingers may be readily bent.

The lower flange 3 is provided with a generally rectangular opening 8,in the present instance this rectangular opening being of a size toreceive a rectangular end 9 on the supporting shaft which may be turnedthrough a shaft Ill passing through the camera wall II by means of aknurled knob [2. In loading the film spool into the camera, the squaredopening 8 is first inserted over the shaft 5 and the spool is moveddownwardly until the fingers 6 strike the rounded end 5 of the shaft, sothat further movement of the spool bends the signal fingers upwardlyfrom a position in which they lie flush with the major plane of theflange 2. Thus, if the finger 6 project only slightly into the roundedcut-out 4, they may be bent up at only a slight angle, as indicated inFig. 1, by the loading operation. The flange of the film spool must, ofcourse, be made of a non-springy, relatively-soft metal, so that thesefingers will readily bend into the position shown.

The camera wall l2 may be hinged at l3 to the camera body I4 so thatthis wall and an end wall [5 may be swung outwardly and upwardly to openthe camera when a latch member I6 is operated. When in the openposition, the film spool can be inserted axially over the camerasupporting shaft and when the hinged door- [2 is closed, the spool maybe held in an operative position by means of a ring H which lies closeto the flange 2 when the film spool is in an operative position. If notproperly positioned on the camera shaft, the door may not be closed.This insures that the operator will insert the spool the requireddistance on the supporting shaft.

The formation of the bendable signals, or fingers, 6, may, of course,take different forms and although the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is apreferred form, the arrangement of Fig. 3, or other arrangements, may beused, if desired. In accordance with Fig. 3, the film spool flange 20 isprovided with three inwardly-projecting fingers 2! which are quitenarrow and relatively long since they are formed by slotting the flange'20, as indicated at 22. These fingers, as in the first embodiment,project partially into a rounded opening 23 to receive the end of thecamera shaft 5. Thus, when the spoolis thrust on the shaft, thesefingers will be bent permanently outwardly, thereby notifying anoperator when the spool has been removed that it has once been placed inthe camera and that the film should be exposed.

While the camera itself forms no part of my present invention and may bealong the lines of the Mihalyi camera, shown in the Patent 2,336,278above referred to, such a camera is diagrammatically shown in Fig. 4 asconsisting of a camera body 30 having an upper wall l4 supporting ahinged wall [2, the end wall of which 15 may have a latch [6 by which itis held in a closed position. Inside of these walls there is a spoolchamber 3'! into which my improved form of film spool, designatedbroadly as S, may be loaded on a film spool supporting shaft 5. Byturning the knurled knob l2, fl1m"F may be propelled from the spoolbetween a guide roll 33 and a. guide plate 34 which are suitably shapedinto an exosure position behind the exposure frame 35.

The usual type of presser member 36 holds the film flat on the exposureframe and the film may be wound into a loose coil at 38 after beingpropelled into this coil which lies in a take-up chamber 31. The frontwall 39 of the camera may have the usual lens and shutter 40, theshutter having a trigger 4| for making exposures in the normal manner.

It will be noticed that by utilizing readilybendable fingers formeddirectly of the metal of the film spool flange that no additional partsare required, and that these fingers serve to indicate that a film spoolhas not been used in a camera when the fingers lie flat, or flush, withthe flange. However, as soon as the spool is in- I serted on thefilm-supporting post these fingers .si dered.

A film spool and signal for use in a camera 7 having a film supportcomprising a shaft polygonal at one end and round at the other end onwhich the film spool may be mounted with the spool flanges engaging theshaft, said film spool comprising a hub encircling the shaft flangesattached to the hub, ong flange having a polygonal opening complementaryin shape to the polygonal end of the shaft, the other flange having around opening complementary in shape to the round end of the shaft, theflange having the round opening being made of a soft bendable metal andnormally lying in a plane at right angles to the hub, an inwardlyextending signal finger extending into the round opening and havinglateral edges extending rearwardly into the flange and separatedtherefrom by slots, said signal finger normally lying in the plane ofthe flange whereby the finger may be bent away from the plane of theflange and into a noticeable signallingposition by placing the spool onthe camera supporting shaft, thereby causing said shaft to move thesignal fingers from the plane of the flange as the round end of theshaft passes through the round opening in the flange, said signallingfinger retaining its bent outwardly extending position from the plane ofthe flange because of the soft bendable material of which the flange ismade.

KENNETH A. I-IENDEL.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name The file of Number DateBusch Nov. 16, 1937

